Doc Hastings

Richard Norman "Doc" Hastings (born February 7, 1941) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as the U.S. representative for WA's 4th congressional district from 1995 until his retirement in 2015.

The district includes much of central Washington including the Tri-Cities, Yakima, and Moses Lake.

He served in the United States Army Reserve from 1964 to 1969.

He studied business administration at Columbia Basin College and Central Washington State College, but did not graduate from either.

In 1978, Hastings ran for Washington's 16th House District (seat 2).

He defeated incumbent Democratic State Representative Charles Kilbury 62%–38%.

Hastings served in the Washington House of Representatives from 1979 to 1987, where he was selected by his colleagues to be Assistant Majority Leader and Republican Caucus Chairman.

In 1980, he won re-election to a second term, defeating Democrat Dorothy Miller 70%–30%.

In 1982, he was re-elected to a third term against Democrat Sandy Dodd by 55%–45%.

In 1983, he challenged the constitutionality of the state's 1.1% sales tax hike.

He voluntarily left the Legislature, claiming family reasons.

He served on the House Tax Advisory Committee.

In 1984, he won re-election to a fourth term, defeating Democrat Bill Grant 52%–48%.

Incumbent Republican Sid Morrison, of Washington's 4th congressional district, decided to retire in 1992 in order to run for Governor of Washington.

Hastings ran, but lost in the general election to Democratic State Representative Jay Inslee, 51%–49%.

Although Hastings carried the Tri-Cities, he lost the rest of the district.

He won three (Benton, Franklin, and Adams) of the district's ten counties.

Hastings sought a rematch against Inslee in 1994, and defeated him, 53%–47%, winning eight of the district's ten counties.

In 1996, he was re-elected to a second term, defeating Democrat Rick Locke 53%–47%.

He never faced another contest anywhere near that close, and was reelected eight more times with at least 60% of the vote.

"Top priorities must be creating jobs, getting our economy back on track, and stopping reckless spending that has left our nation with the largest deficit in history," wrote Hastings in response to Project Vote Smart.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer considers Hastings to be a "down-the-line supporter of the House Republican leadership".

He was named Columbia Basin Alumni of the Year in 2001.

The most conservative Republican in Washington's Congressional delegation, he chaired the House Committee on Ethics from 2005 to 2007 and chaired the House Committee on Natural Resources from 2011 to his leaving office.

He returned to Central Washington as commencement speaker in 2008.

Before being elected to Congress, Hastings ran his family-owned small business, Columbia Basin Paper and Supply.

He was an active member of the Pasco Chamber of Commerce, the Pasco/Kennewick Rotary Club, the Pasco Downtown Development Association, and the Pasco Jaycees.

His rating from the National Association of Wheat Growers was 25 percent in 2008.

For 2009–2010 the American Farm Bureau Federation gave Representative Hastings a 66% rating.

In 2009 and 2010, he received grades of "D" and "F" from the teachers union-affiliated National Education Association, and 0% from the American Association of University Women.

In November 2010 he said that "Promoting new domestic energy production, including in the Arctic, will be a priority" for the committee.

Hastings has a lifetime score of 3% from the League of Conservation Voters.

Hastings is rated as one of the most pro-business representatives in Congress, according to the United States Chamber of Commerce which gives Hastings a score of 94 out of 100 based on his 16-year voting record.

The 501(c)4 organization Club for Growth gave Hastings a grade of 94 out of 100.

The National Taxpayers Union gives Hastings a grade of A. Hastings has been given an 'A' grade by Liz Cheney's Keep America Safe PAC He earned a 95.15% lifetime rating, as of 2010, from the American Conservative Union.

Hastings is pro-life, demonstrated by consistent ratings of 100% from the National Right to Life Committee.

He has received mixed ratings from some national agricultural groups.

Hastings has served as Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources since January 2011 and is a proponent of increasing domestic production of oil and gas, including drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

Hastings retired in 2015 after declining to run for re-election in 2014.

Richard Norman Hastings was born in Spokane, Washington to Ivan and Florene Hastings; he is of part Norwegian ancestry on the maternal side of his family.